Demon Heart (The Darkworld Series Book 3) (15 page)

“What about you and Leo?” said Claudia.

“What about us?”

“Huh? Never mind. You’ve only been together a few weeks, right? I think you’ll be all right. You just don’t want any regrets.”

Too right I didn’t. Neither did I want to join the ranks of the all-night partygoers. I’d had a glimpse of that last night, and I wasn’t keen for it to happen again.

Claudia seemed to guess what was on my mind. “Hey, getting shitfaced is hardly the worst thing you could have done. Think of it as a life lesson. Of sorts. Well, that’s what I tell myself whenever I wake up on someone’s floor after a night at Satan’s Pit.” And just like that, carefree Claudia was back.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “It’s more, you know, that people died when we were at that party. Kind of makes the whole thing seem like a frivolous waste of time.”

“You know what I said about no regrets? That. Wouldn’t you rather have
enjoyed
your life, even if a demon got you in the end?”

“Well,” I said. “There’s that.”

“Then go and do what you like doing. We’ll bust the fortune-teller out of jail tomorrow.”

I snorted with genuine laughter. “Now you sound like you’re out of one of those prison-break movies.”

“I did once have the ambition to star in a James Bond film.”

Still laughing, she waved goodbye, saying she needed to go to the shop. I went back into the flat. At least our conversation had cheered me up.

If only the big problems could be resolved as easily. Despite everything, something told me that we were the fortune-teller’s only hope.

h,” said Claudia as we stood before the Blackstone family tomb. “I’m not sure how you get into Headquarters if you don’t have an appointment.”

The tomb’s doors were resolutely sealed, and it wasn’t like there was a doorbell or anything.
We should probably have thought this through.

I examined the Blackstone memorial stone, which stood beside the tomb, wondering if it contained some kind of clue. The smooth black stone had been engraved with a list of names. Melivia’s name stood out at the bottom; she’d been the youngest.

“At this rate, people will think we’re graveyard junkies,” I said, glancing around.

No one else ever seemed to come near here, though I could still see the town square through the alleyway alongside the cathedral. We did spend more time hanging about in this abandoned old cemetery than was probably healthy. No one ever went in the cathedral, either; it had apparently been closed due to the unstable floorboards making it unsafe to walk inside. Instead of renovating it, the local council, who were based in Crowley, had merely left it to drift into disrepair.

Leo raised a hand and knocked on the doors to the tomb. A hollow, ringing sound echoed.

“Hey! Can we come see the Venantium?”

“It’s urgent!” I added, feeling foolish to be speaking to the front doors of a tomb. Not even a harpy was around to hear us. The gateway remained sealed.

“Should we use the tunnels?” said Leo, stepping back.

“Doesn’t look like we have much choice,” said Claudia.

So, once again, Cyrus―who’d come along at Leo’s insistence that he was our only way into the tunnels―unlocked the door behind the statue and we descended into darkness.

This time, we followed a different path to the one that led to the library, a winding track that looped on itself several times. The floor became damp as moisture seeped through the walls and ceiling; I heard the distant sound of rushing water.

“Are we going the right way?” I said, sidestepping a muddy puddle.

“Possibly,” said Leo. “Ah, hell.”

My arms prickled and my heart started beating fast. The walls had become metal rather than earth and a familiar burning smell crept up on us. I
knew
I’d been here before. The cells.

The pendant was cold on my neck, and I was glad I’d fetched it from my room before we’d set out.

“C’mon,” Leo whispered, quickening his pace. “At least we know this way leads up to the surface.”

“Are you mad?” I said. “They’ll think we’re here to help her escape!”

“I’m with Ash,” said Claudia, whose pale face gleamed in the blue candlelight.

“These cells go on for miles,” Leo whispered. “This is the quickest way.”

“Unfortunately, he’s right,” said Cyrus. “Seriously, though―I’ll kill you all if you get us arrested.”

Sure enough, we soon reached the cells, a row of barred doors set into the cave walls. I couldn’t help looking inside, but most were empty. None of the few inhabitants looked up, although Leo pressed his face right up to the bars.

“What’re you doing?” I whispered.

“Looking out for Howard’s parents.”

“Do you think they might be here?” I’d totally forgotten that Howard’s parents had been arrested by the Venantium when he was a child. This wasn’t a fate I’d wish on anyone.

“No, I’ve been down here before and I’ve not seen them. But it’s a force of habit. The least I can do.”

“You think you owe it to Howard?”

“Well, I realise he’s an ungrateful bastard fifty per cent of the time…”

“Ninety-nine percent,” I corrected. “I’ve never heard him say anything nice. Ever.”

“Probably only Berenice has,” said Leo. “Anyway―here we are.”

We stood in the corridor that led to the room with the Angel Box―and the way out. The silence unnerved me; last time I’d been here, the tunnels had been swarming with activity thanks to the Skele-Ghouls. Now, however, not a soul was in sight.

Leo reached the door first and pushed it open. We emerged through one of the archways in the entrance hall and walked into a stern-faced
venator.

“Shit,” said Leo.

“What are you doing here?” she said.

Oh hell.
Dr. Philips, the woman who had interrogated me before, glared at us.

“We were… We wanted to speak to the fortune-teller.” Claudia was certainly brave to look her in the eyes.

“Madame Persephone,” I said.

“That is not her name,” said Dr. Philips, frowning at me. “We might not be able to read her as we can any other magic-user, but she is not who she claims to be. And you shouldn’t be here.”

“She’s not bad!” I said. “She isn’t working with the demons. She’s not a threat.”

“That has yet to be determined. You heard Mr. Blake. Her involvement with Lucifer, for instance―”

“What does it matter what happened twenty years ago?” I said. “People are
dying
now! Only she can stop Jude―I mean, Mephistopheles.”

“Mephistopheles?” Dr. Philips raised an eyebrow. “Clearly, she has confided in you, but refuses to divulge anything to us.
We
are trying our utmost to stop all threats.
She
works to her own agenda, and she has been known to have dealings with demons before. She is not trustworthy.”

“Look,” said Cyrus. “We understand your position, but there’s no denying that she is an extremely talented magic-user. She could help you.”

“Believe me, we are doing our best to get as much information from her as we can. She has alerted us to several attacks already.”

“I thought you blocked her Darkworld connection,” I said.

“Did you not hear the announcement? We are in a fragile situation. We need her help.”

“Then why not let her help you of her own free will?” I asked. “She’s working against Lucifer. You know that.”

“That may be the case, but it is curious that a woman who claims to be on
our
side has so many… unusual talents. She can modify her appearance at will, so how are we to know she is the age she claims to be? Her ability is disturbingly similar to Lucifer’s. Are you aware of the Lucifer case?”

“Actually, we are—sort of,” said Leo. “We were curious about that. Mr. Blake… my father… he said that Lucifer lives in the Darkworld. That shouldn’t be possible.”

“I read something about it in a book,” said Claudia. “It said astral travel’s possible, but nothing about being able to come back. I’m not about to run off and do it,” she added hastily, as Dr. Philips’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t have a death wish. But you can’t expect us not to be curious after what we just heard.”

“Well, knowledge on the matter is restricted,” said Ms. Weston. “You know that twenty years ago, Lucifer invaded our world, bringing with him a host of demons. As a spirit, he possessed a body himself. That is the price of immortality. You must kill to return to life. But most who attempt it die before they have the chance. Lucifer was an uncommonly strong sorcerer. The Darkworld takes no prisoners, and spiritual travel is foolhardy at best. For most, it is a last resort to escape mortality. But you young magic-users are not my responsibility. By all means satisfy your curiosity, but the answers might not be to your liking.”

“This… Lucifer,” said Claudia. “He’s human, right?”

“That would depend upon your definitions of humanity. He is more demon than human now.”

“But he
was
human?”

“Once. Perhaps. No one knows. Not even the Inner Circle.”

“Figures,” said Leo. “So you’ve taken Madame Persephone prisoner just because you’re hoping she knows something you don’t. You couldn’t have just asked for her help?”

“She is notoriously uncooperative. If you know her as well as you claim to, you will know that.”

“Everyone has secrets,” said Leo.

“Not everyone’s secrets threaten everything we stand for,” said Dr. Philips. “Now, we are not currently permitting visitors to the cells. I might be persuaded to overlook your transgression, since it was apparently well meaning… but if I catch you here again, I will have to take measures.”

Her gaze lingered on me. I shivered. I hadn’t forgotten the interrogation―even though at the time she’d thought I was my doppelganger, and had since apologised. Her face resembled a jagged cliff, her eyes like silver chips.

“I hope you learn a lesson from this about meddling with illegal magic,” said Dr. Philips.

“Not really,” said Leo. “Since we’ve no proof that’s what Madame Persephone was doing.”

“You have faith in her even though she is known to have been complicit in the Lucifer case? That it was he who tempted her into the Darkworld itself, at the cost of human lives? The evidence suggests that she may have had a change of heart and turned on him, turned him into the Venantium. But that does not mean she is truly on our side. If he returns, she may turn again. That is my final word.”

A clear dismissal. As we left through the tunnel she pointed us through, I whispered, “She’s scary. I just want to know where they’re keeping the fortune-teller.”

“Bastards.” Claudia’s voice shook with anger. “They’re just frightened because she’s a better magic-user than any of them ever will be.”

“But what if it’s true? That she switched sides?” I swallowed. “What did Dr. Philips mean about him
tempting her into the Darkworld
, at the cost of human lives? And being
complicit
in the Lucifer case?”

“I don’t know,” said Claudia. “I really don’t know. The only person who can tell us is stuck in jail.”

“I’d say we stay out of it,” said Cyrus. “I think we’re in way over our heads. The Venantium might not know what they’re doing, but they’re in a better position than us. If Madame Persephone’s really helping them, I’m not sure what more we can do.”